Sangeeta: How was your childhood and youth? Any early formative
influences?

Atreya: Thank you
first of all for the opportunity to share my views. Right from my schooldays,
somehow, the power of the word – English, Telugu or Sanskrit – fascinated me.
Though I hail from and had my school education at a small Taluk headquarters
town, the ambience for stimulation and learning was fairly good enough. The
interest continued at college, at a district headquarters town, but it was not
systematically channelized, with no concrete idea of the future.

Sangeeta: What prompted you to delve into arts?
The inner motivations? Desire to communicate?

Atreya: The flashes of interest in self-expression and love for
language, and a few brownie points I scored on the way led me on to write and
speak. Whenever opportunities presented themselves I made use of them, and the
little praise or pat on the back served as stimulus.

All said and done, it is a matter of self-expression and
also an urge to share the thoughts and ideas engaging me fervently and this
flair for expression had been an undercurrent throughout the banking career I had been into.

Sangeeta: How has been the overall journey as a writer and editor?

Atreya: It has been, and
it still is, a step by step progression of continual reading, learning, and
writing. I started out as the managing editor of Bharatiya
Pragna, an English socio-political monthly, as a hobby and on a voluntary
basis, and I worked for this journal for ten years in all. It was a great
learning experience to receive and read a variety of articles from learned
writers, to edit, and to write editorials, reports and articles. Later on I was
the founder editor of Cyberhood, a neighborhood weekly to which I imparted some
literary flavour in addition to the usual coverage of civic and other
aspects. The publisher gave me the editorial freedom. The quality of this paper
earned appreciation from a cross-section of readership. Then I was taken in as
an Editor of the Muse India e-journal in 2009. I was already an MA in English
literature and a PG Diploma holder in Mass Communications and Translation
Techniques Ever since, at Muse India I have been looking after Fiction,
Reviews, News & Events, and Telugu Literature as well. Recently they have
made me Chief Editor, so the responsibility and the need for a greater
comprehension and wider networking has suddenly gone up. In addition, I have
also edited eight books so far. Alongside writing editorials, articles, reviews
and reports – writing poetry has gone on apace. The journey so far has been a
satisfying one, exploratory in spirit, and with adjusting and readjusting to
the demands of the situation. I have also been into translation, so much so the
time for my creative writing has been rather shrinking, and the curating of the
contemplated books – for which the material is ready – is getting delayed.

Sangeeta: What is your opinion about the current literary scenario in
India? Is it English-dominated?

Atreya: The literary
interest has been on the rise, with more and more books getting published, and
with more and more writers especially the youth making their presence felt;
some of them are in fact making waves. If the current literary scenario looks
dominated by English, it is because of its greater visibility and also the
glitter associated with it for obvious reasons. Though the regional Indian
literatures are doing well, they are limited to their parochial readership,
whereas English has an all-India presence cutting across the provincial
territories and also the advantage of reaching beyond the national boundaries and
the temptation and possibility of getting recognized there.

Sangeeta: How are the Bhasha Literatures? Are they qualitatively
different from English?

Atreya: The Bhasha literatures are doing very well, with more and
more young writers across the genres steadily coming into the field. Most of
them, I suppose, are rooted to their ground situation and are more realistic
and closer to the people vis-à-vis the writers in English. And everyone knows
that the combined readership of the Bhasha literatures outweighs that of Indian
English writing. However, there is one difference – there is perhaps more
research done by the writers in English than in the regional languages,
relatively speaking.

Atreya: What with
its thematic diversity, I meant my poetry book a read for all seasons and for
all reasons, so its tagline is ‘An olio of poetry for pleasure.’ The central
premise of my book is the contemporary social milieu, with the mood of the
poems ranging from gravity to levity, anger to angst, sympathy to empathy, and ardor
to humor – in tune with the context, in addition to a few psychedelic flights
of fancy and epiphanic insights. The titles I have given to the various
sections in the book give an idea of the eclecticism that has gone into the
book. The sections are Femina, Facets of Nature, Epiphanies, Americana, Musings
on Poesy, Relations & Equations, Romantic Peeps, Reflectively Yours, Social
Bristles, Tongue-in-Cheek, Occasional Voices, and Metrical Forays. Whatever the
themes I selected, I took optimal care to be lucid and direct, and strove to be
generally universal and harmonious in spirit.

As for the
title of the book which you call “intriguing,” it is better if I quote from my
Preface:

“Every
poet generates his ideas like the droplets of rain falling to the earth. He
broods over them and airs them in the ether of his mind. When they acquire
enough strength they coalesce and shower down with a greater intensity and
density, in the form of snow, sometimes solidifying into ice. This ice
represents the settled poetic mind and expression, ready to be shared by its
melting and sublimation. The poet, with confidence, holds this ice like a conch
to blow off his thoughts like a mist and diffuse them. If it is just cold rain
and snow, it would be dampening. If the rain and snow/ice are suffused with
sun, it symbolizes the eclectic and the harmonious, and that to me is poetry.
The image on the front cover reflects this idea.”

Sunny Rain-n-Snowwas formally launched in a full-fledged function in
Hyderabad on Dec 18, 2016, which received a fairly good enough press coverage.
Earlier it had a couple of launches – at the Khandala Lit-fest (June 11-12, 2016),
and at the 9th International Guntur Poetry Fest- 2016 (Sep 20-21, 2016). The
book both in its paperback and Kindle versions is available at over half a
dozen e-retail outlets like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Flipkart.

Sangeeta: How has been the general and critical reception of the book?

Atreya: Many litterateurs have reviewed Sunny Rain-n-Snow with acclaim, and the reviews have appeared in
both the print and electronic media like The Hans India, Muse India, Triveni,
Tuck Magazine, Verbal Art, Boloji.com, as also on the retailer websites like
Amazon and Alibris. And a few more reviews are on the way in journals like
Jayanti and Phenomenal Literature. I thank Dr VVB Rami Rao, Dr Vivekanand Jha,
Shernaz Wadia, K Pankajam, Subasish Bhattacharjee, Jayendrina Singha Ray, and
Dr Srinivas Reddy whose reviews have already been published; as also Chepuru
Subbarao, Betty Oldmeadow, Dr CL Khatri, Dr Pramod Kumar Das, Dr Ketaki Datta,
Dr Jaydeep Sarangi, Rob Harle, Leonard Dabydeen, Neelam Saxena Chandra, Dr
Katta Rajamouly and Dr Gagan Bihari Purohit whose reviews are on the way.

I also thank well-wishers like you, and others like
Sanjeev Seth and Garimella K Rao who have thought it fit to interview me and help
me have some more publicity to my book – the interviews by the latter two are
in the pipeline. So also there is going to be a chapter on Sunny Rain-n-Snow in an upcoming book – ‘Poets Notable and New
2017’ – by Dr VVB Rama Rao. Likewise, the Foreword by Dr Sunil Sharma and the
endorsements by a galaxy of well-known poets like Ambika Ananth, Avril Meallem,
Dr Charanjeet Kaur, Elanaaga, Gopal Lahiri, Dr Kiriti Sengupta, Sanjeev Sethi,
and Usha Kishore have enhanced the value of my book. Critics like Dr Tutun
Mukherjee, Dr KB Gopalam, Dr V Kondal Rao and Padmaja Iyengar appraise that Sunny Rain-n-Snow is a must read for the
content, thought, language, diction, sensitivity, imagery and flight of fancy.

Sangeeta: Is poetry dying or is it reviving?

Atreya: I am of the view that at any point
of time the readership for poetry is relatively limited since appreciation of
poetry needs a sensitive soul, an aesthetic mind, an empathic strain, a little
bit of patience and leisure, and a certain amount of knowledge of poetic
concepts. The content of poetry in the language curricula has been drastically
cut down over the time, and this could be one of the reasons for the relative
dip in interest in poetry, for many impressions during the formative periods
can last long. Even then, paradoxically, there are poets in all the age groups,
and a good number of youngsters are taking to it in good numbers, if we go by
the output of poems in school/college magazines or some others papers or poetry
meets. There are even teenagers who have brought out their poetry collections.Liberalisation of poetic craft by doing away with what are called the
complex and recondite rules of prosody has broad-based the interest in poetry
writing. And the number of poetry journals – print or online – already
available, and are still coming up – is also an indication that poetry is
kicking and alive. Besides many an online journal, there are print journals
devoted even to metrical poetry – like Metverse Muse from Visakhapatnam, which
has a creditable international participation and circulation. To teach and
guide the budding poets, there are a number of how-to online resources. There
are sites exclusively dedicated to sonnet, limerick, haiku, etc. There are many
organisations which regularly hold poetry meets,
workshops and competitions and give away awards. It would strengthen the
movement of muse if at least in bigger towns and cities, the established poets
can come onto a platform and organize periodical poetry workshops and
appreciation programmes. Of course, there are many workshops being already organized
in the country, but they won’t be enough, and the fee has to be reasonable,
wherever it is being charged. It may not be out of place here to point out the
rigidity on the part of some publishers wedded to free verse and prose-poetry
to frown upon and banish even natural and meaningful rhymed lines. Why should
anyone try to regiment the creative freedom of others by stipulating
strait-jacket approaches? Overall, I am optimistic of the state of poetry, be
it now or in the future, for poetic creativity is ingrained in man’s psyche.

Sangeeta: Which Indian poets and writers have influenced you strongly?
Why?

Atreya: I
have read a good number of Indian poets and writers – including those of
fiction, biography, autobiography and other non-fiction, and every one of them
has left their own indefinable, unrecognizable and subtle influence on me for I
have internalized the effect, without any conscious effort. I can’t identify
any particular influence by any particular writer on me.

Sangeeta: Comment on the current landscape of Indian writing in
English? Is it faithful to Indian realities?

Atreya: Yes, the
Indian writing in English – I say fiction, which I review a considerably good
deal – certainly reflects the Indian realities; but of course the perceptions
may, naturally, vary from writer to writer. But a substantial section
represents the metro and urban culture, and sometimes a few niche or micro
groups, rather than a larger cross-section of the society, the semi-urban and
the rural. And what I feel is that the writers should aim at harmony rather
than exacerbating the social strife, without unduly letting their own biases to
affect the plot.

Sangeeta: Who are the most significant voices of this field?

Atreya: To me the
voice of any writer whose work appeals to me is significant, and there are
many. I can’t grade them as good, better and best.

Sangeeta: How has been your experience as the
contributing editor of ‘The Hans India’?

Atreya: Having come to know me as an editor of Muse India and
as a writer, The Hans India daily asked me to maintain their weekly column of
poetry; and ever since 2013, I have been presenting poets from across the
country and a few times even from abroad who write in English; at times, I
present even translations from the Indian regional languages. Contacting the
poets, interacting with them, and reading their poetry has been a rewarding
experience. The ongoing reading and analysis of these poems had also served as
a touchstone on which to evaluate my own poems.

Sangeeta: And as editor-in-chief of Muse India, please?

Atreya: At Muse India whom I joined in 2009,
I have been looking after fiction, reviews, news & events, and also Telugu
literature. Both the quality and quantity of submissions has gone up
phenomenally, with the result it has become increasingly difficult to set aside
any submission, despite the space constraint. As a way out, I have announced a
New Annual Short Fiction Bonus for the Jul-Aug 2017 issue, so as to accommodate
the surplus of good fiction submissions. So also to systematize the reviews
section, I have been maintaining rapport with the publishers, and have formed a
panel of good and competent reviewers.A
large number of submissions come from all over the country, and sometimes even
from abroad, and many young writers approach us. And we don’t turn down the
submissions on the grounds of minor flaws or on mere technicalities, but
silently take care of them using our editorial discretion. I have also brought
out four special features on Telugu literature. And it is only recently I have
come to be the Chief Editor of Muse India. My interaction with a cross-section
of writers has given me ideas how to strengthen, diversify and popularize Muse
India further. We have to see how the future is going to unfold, since there
are many angles to it. More than anything else, it is the joy of getting in
touch with hundreds of writers and scholars from a large spectrum.

Sangeeta: How do you sum up your rich and
variegated life so far?

Atreya: As
a literary dilettante, I have been trying my best, with all my limitations, to
add my own inch of contribution to the humongous world of literature. I only
wish I had more energy, more resourcefulness, more fecund afflatus, a sharper
memory, a much faster reading pace, more assimilating capacity, less laziness,
more stamina, a wider and deeper understanding of the people around.In short, I wish to be a more accomplished
person, and a better human being. However, it has been certainly a satisfying
experience despite all my desultory and checkered ways.

Sangeeta: What is your message to the young and the established writers?

Atreya: I am too small to offer a message to the established
writers. I can only say with humility: ‘Sir/ Madam, I admire your writings.
Please accept my hearty congrats. And I wish you further oeuvre and fame.’

Nowadays, most of the young writers are smart and savvy;
most of them know the ethos and standard of the media they propose to approach,
they read and evaluate the stuff carried in them, and try their best to dot
their i’s and cross their t’s. Young or old, the aspiring writers need to study
a lot to hone up their language skills; keenly observe men, things and affairs;
and also try to live as ideal as possible with a positive attitude – which in
itself promotes creativity along healthy lines. And thank you Sangeeta once
again for your kind interview for Setu.